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PREFACE
natural hostility to the growth of film societies, one of the most encouraging signs of film appreciation in Great Britain to-day, in fact practically the only alternative to the commercial cinemas. This time I quote from the reliable British tradejournal Kinemato graph Weekly and at some length, because it is important that the public should know that this point of view is held in the Industry : ' Film societies were the target for a slashing attack by the Kinematograph Renters Society Council last week which, accusing members of the movement of being ringleaders of the current-wide attacks on the Film Industry, decided to call a meeting with the Cinematograph Exhibitors Association to thrash out the whole position of these societies. Members said that film societies, which paid little for film hire, were so much on the increase that they were creating a very grave threat to exhibitor interests . . . The meeting then had a long debate on the merits and demerits of film culture, in which culture got the worse of the argument. It was said by a member that society members were the type of people who never go to a normal kinema shozv. The Industry would never persuade them to adopt a regular kinema-going habit by letting them have old films to see, which were far from representative of the modern type of film product. Another member said that the only type of film the societies booked was the " arty " type. These people did absolutely no good to the Industry. No one had anything to say in favour of the movement/ l It should be noted that the Kinematograph Renters Society is a national body representing all the leading and most of the small film distributors in the United Kingdom. It has representation on the Board of Governors of the British Film Institute, one of whose major objects is to encourage the growth of the film society movement !
Powerful Trade interests frequently denigrate and
resent intelligent and honest film criticism. They obviously
oppose civic or municipal cinemas, as was seen in their
opposition to the Local Government Bill in which they were
1 September 18, 1947. (My italics— P.R.)
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